I plan on traveling to Canada, but I do have this worry.
To be more specific, I’m not kinda black, my skin’s somehow white, but I have black relatives, which means I got wavy hair and some other things.
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Depending on where you’re coming from, you might have a different idea of what friendly is. While nearly all Canadians will treat any foreigners with kindness and respect, we don’t tend to go out of our way to talk to and be hospitable towards strangers as much as people in a lot of other countries do. Especially in big cities.
Lol as a minority that’s born here and lived in cities across the countr: Canada definitely has racism still. We are very diverse; especially in the bigger cities of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
I recently travelled to NB and witnessed some racism. Wasn’t anything too bad. I’ve had worse. But you’ll find more ignorance than hate. Hate looms it’s ugly head depending on where you go and what minority you are. I think for the most part, you’ll be okay, you might get weird comments here and there, but most people will be nice as a general rule of thumb.
Stay away from Alberta and you should be safe.
Thanks, friend. Noted that down.
Not all of us are jerks :(
The majority are though. I didn’t feel safe when I last went there.
I’m not gonna pretend everything is fine and dandy here. Not an Alberta native, and a lot of things still shock me even after 3 years here (how dominant religion is in some segments of the population, all the fucking trucks everywhere all the time, people keep on voting conservative despite, well, everything they’re actually doing…). But I don’t think it’s as big of a majority as one would think. FPTP politics will distort reality and make the place look more conservative than it really is. All that to say - I get the negative image, and the reality on the ground will vary based on where you are and who you meet. Hopefully we can get the place into a state where people feel safe coming here.
Do they dismiss entire provinces’ worth of people as jerks based on a single experience? Because that would be a pretty awful thing for them to do, yeah.
buddy I grew up in Alberta. and there’s 2 things to sum up the people.
During mask mandates I was in the Carstairs post office, and saw a woman with no mask picking up 2 boxes labeled cristianbooks.com
the second is everyone in Alberta thinks being compared to Texas is a compliment.
these are two light hearted examples, with many more in the memory bank.
there’s jerks everyone. My worst bit of transphobia was in Toronto.
But Alberta does seem to have the highest concentration of jerks. at least as far as my experience has gone.
During mask mandates I was in the Carstairs post office,
Carstairs is a rural town with a population of 4900.
the second is everyone in Alberta thinks being compared to Texas is a compliment.
Oh, everyone?
I happen to be Albertan and the notion of being compared to Texas fills me with anger. I’d like you to back that up with some kind of poll or statistic, please.
On the anger about Albertans being painted as lunatics and compared to Texas, I mean come on, you don’t need stats or polls to see how that is. Not when the press focuses in, rightfully, on our premier who has both a pick-me complex, and insists on (loudly) representing the most grossest, fringest interests, which are wildly xenophobic, authoritarian, science denying, treasonist and corrupt in it’s wildest extremes. Which is baffling when you consider that it’s a pretty small number of our overall population that actually is represented by this nonsense. That only have power because of our distorted ways that we vote for representation, and weird ass governments that completely rug pull and stand for mandates they refuse to acknowledge at election time, because their wackadoodle party keeps getting hijacked and controlled by these fringe unelected people.
So don’t be confused or have shocked Pikachu face or anything when people outside (or inside) the province paint us with these brushes. It’s deserved, because we keep allowing it to happen. We keep allowing these people to abuse us and control the narrative about who we are.
if your taking things that literally on the internet, I can’t help you.
but what I can say is I didnt know anyone who understood it’s an insult was until I moved out of Alberta. So everyone I met while growing up, yeah.
for the record I grew up in Calgary.
OP is being warned to “stay away” specifically from Alberta because we’re apparently not safe to be around, how am I supposed to be taking this? So far the only solid reasons that have been given are:
- Alberta produces a lot of oil.
- Someone in a small town post office didn’t wear a mask while picking up a box of books related to Christianity, which I might add is far more widely practised in Canada’s eastern provinces.
- Apparently “everyone” in Alberta thinks being compared to Texas is a compliment. Based on the fact that you personally didn’t know anyone who thought otherwise, in your particular social bubble.
So yeah, I’m rather offended. I think OP would have a perfectly fine time coming to visit Alberta.
I mean look at what the government is doing and how most albertans support them. They have the largest emissions per capita in North America.
what the government is doing
Which is?
how most albertans support them.
Let’s hear those specifics, I think you’ll find that the population’s not as supportive of whatever you’re imagining they’re supporting. And in particular the large cities, which are NDP strongholds.
They have the largest emissions per capita in North America.
This is why you think a tourist wouldn’t be safe here? Because we’re an oil-producing province?
Better advise OP not to visit Norway either, they must be monsters over there.
Better advise OP not to visit Norway either, they must be monsters over there.
The cops don’t carry guns there and the population is more accepting of other people groups.
But their emissions!
alberta politics is awkward but people are friendly in larger communities. Some remote small communities may be awkward but not always.
I was frequently harassed and the rest just stood by and did nothing. I won’t be going back.
I would actually say Alberta politics are insane, but disregarding that, people here are still usually friendly enough. Yes racism and bigotry is still (baffling) a universal experience, something you could possibly come into contact with, well, just about anywhere in the world.
Are you going to get a sideways look somewhere? I mean maybe, can’t say for sure you won’t. But are you going to get run out of town by people bearing pitchforks and torches? Well no. I can almost say for certainty that won’t happen anywhere in our country. A Canadian, even the goofy ass hillbilly ones that shout at clouds and vaccines on Facebook, would file that under something pretty god damn weird. And we collectively largely ignore those ones. Behind their backs we point and laugh at them too, so fear not.
Come see our country OP. It’s beautiful, and almost universally welcoming and accessible. Don’t forget your coat this time of year, it sure is beautiful but it’s also cold as shit in certain areas. Personally I think the atmosphere adds to the beauty.
In my experience, foreigners are so ubiquitous there the locals barely notice
Maybe you’ll be treated differently if you struggle speaking English (or French if visiting Quebec) but your post implies that’s not an issue
Of course, if you’re moving instead of visiting the answer a bit more nuanced as the cost of living crisis there is very real
I’d say generally yes. Of course, there are still assholes like in any country.
Cities are generally quite multicultural with people from everywhere. Every major Canadian city I’ve visited has seemed to be quite friendly.
I’ve seen people say to avoid Alberta in this thread. Generally, unless you are going to Middle of Nowhere, Alberta where their yearly tourism consists of a single person stopping by to get gas, you’ll be perfectly fine.
My friends who live in Alberta get racially profiled all the time, they are natives. Alberta is the most conservative province, still happens outside that province but not as extreme. You will have to learn Québécois(French Canadian) if you move to Quebec.
My parents will say it behind your back, and be very racist/transphobic, if you are not white and straight. But not everyone is like that. It saddens me, but they are in their 60’s. But usually no one will be racist to your face, from my experience living in Ontario.
Stay out of Quebec and you’ll be fine.
Like everywhere except maybe an uncontacted island we have racism, but I’m not sure what country would have less. Multiculturalism is part of our national ethos.
We’ve got a “range” but most fall into friendly category. People will stop to help you when you’re stuck.
Most areas are a mixed bag of all colours, and nobody cares. You may still encounter a racist or two, but it is not overt racism like the USA is displaying right now.
You will be just fine. Enjoy yourself here.
If they’re not, you let me know. I’ll thump 'em a good one for you.
Canada is not a progressive shangri-la that media portrays. Cities are very multicultural, but those groups hate each other. Rural Canada is all white and full of hate. Quebec is fine in Montreal and Quebec city, but the rest of the province hates immigrants.
However, you will not encounter open hate and violence like the USA shithole.
Nice blanket generalization of a whole population.
Also, the most racist anti immigrant shit I see is from Ontarians and Albertans and about Indian-Canadians.
So, in other words; fuck off, asshole.
I would say Canadians are more polite than friendly. Too polite to be really friendly a lot of the time.
Canadians are generally more passive in their racism.
I’ll say depend on where you’ll go
If you go in most major cities you’ll probably be fine
Your biggest threats in Canada are actually the cold (threat #1), shit drivers (threat #2) Methanys and the crack heads (I would argue threat #4). Racism is like threat #612,987 on a list that includes everything from death from diabetes by maple syrup (threat #34 on the list), to getting eaten by a grizzly bear (threat #3 to #490 depending on where you are). Or stomped by a moose (a threat that can run a range of #1 to #7 both depending where you are or if you are trying to pet it).
Moose are no joke… and they are a serious threat even when driving. OP, if you plan to drive through remote areas, drive carefully. If you hit a moose with your car it will seriously fuck your shit up and likely walk away from it. I’m being serious.
As for maple syrup, it’s worth the risk. Every time.
Edit - Also moose cam be territorial, ornery and unpredictable assholes. DO NOT APPROACH. In fact don’t approach or feed any of the wildlife, but I’m sure that’s a fairly common sense rule.
To be exact, the geometry of a moose makes it so that a lower-built vehicle will hit it in the legs, knock it over, and cause it to land on the hood, and quite possibly on the people in the front seat. This is in addition to the deceleration from hitting a critter that can weigh more than 500kg. Best result, if you managed to brake before hitting it, is a completely shattered windshield and deformed vehicle hood before the moose gets up and flees back into the bush. Worst result . . . well, I grew up in moose country, and the uncle of one of my elementary school classmates died in a moose collision.
